(Photo by Catalina Fragoso/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Seattle Storm and the Las Vegas Aces gun for home court advantage come playoff time as they battle for the fourth spot this Tuesday, September 17, 2024 at Climate Pledge Arena.

Las Vegas currently holds the fourth spot with a 25-13 (win-loss) record. Right in their coattails is Seattle, which is in fifth at 24-14.

Seattle and Las Vegas have met three times this season, with the latter winning the previous two matches by an average margin of eight points.

• The Storm won their initial matchup of the season 78-65 thanks to a 25-point effort from guard Jewell Loyd and a big second half from Skylar Diggins Smith, who finished with 21 points and seven assists.
• Las Vegas, however, heads into this matchup as a 5.5-point favorite after coming off a dominant win against the Connecticut Sun.
• Seattle, meanwhile, is also fresh off a win but had to weather late fightback from the Los Angeles Sparks to come away with a 90-87 victory.

With both teams riding high on their win streak, expect Seattle and Las Vegas to push the pedal into the metal early in a game that could have massive playoff implications.

As of press time, here’s how the current Seattle Storm vs Las Vegas Aces betting lines stand.

Seattle Storm vs Las Vegas Aces DraftKings WNBA Odds for September 17

Moneyline

• Seattle Storm: +200
• Las Vegas Aces: -245

Spread

• Seattle Storm: +5.5 (-115)
• Las Vegas Aces: -5.5 (-105)

Over/Under (Total)

• OVER 162.5 (-110)
• UNDER 162.5 (-110)

Seattle Storm vs Las Vegas Aces Injury Report

Seattle Storm Injury Report

1. Ezi Magbegor – Concussion – Day-to-Day
2. Jewell Loyd – Right Knee Soreness – Day-to-Day

Las Vegas Aces Injury Report

• No Injuries

Best WNBA odds for Seattle Storm vs Las Vegas Aces

• The Seattle Storm beat the Las Vegas Aces once in their three meetings this season. The best Seattle Storm odds to win outright are available on Bwin at +200.
• The Las Vegas Aces have covered the spread in their past two meetings with the Seattle Storm. Betano has the best odds for the Aces to cover the -5.5 spread at -102.
• The Seattle Storm and the Las Vegas Aces are among the best scoring teams in the league right now. The best Seattle Storm vs Las Vegas Aces odds for the over market total are available on FEZBET at -100.

Why will the Seattle Storm cover the spread?

Leading scorer Jewell Loyd sat out last game but the Seattle Storm still managed to eke out a 90-87 victory over the pesky Los Angeles Sparks squad for their fourth consecutive win.

With Loyd likely back in this game, Seattle will now have enough firepower to go toe-to-toe with the well-oiled offense of the Las Vegas Aces.

• It can be recalled that the Storm manhandled the Aces 78-65 in their first matchup this season thanks to a 25-point explosion from Loyd.

What’s even more impressive is that the Storm did it in Las Vegas.

One thing that Seattle needs to do here though to tie the season series and possibly overtake the Aces in the standings is to get consistent production from either Skylar Diggins-Smith or former league Most Valuable Player Nneka Ogwumike.

In their two losses to the Aces this season, either Diggins-Smith or Ogwumike struggled from the field.

• It can be recalled that Diggins-Smith was only limited to 10 points in their second meeting while Ogwumike only had nine points on 4-for-15 shooting in their previous encounter with Las Vegas.

Moreover, Seattle also needs to shoot better from the field and make good shot selections.

• In their previous losses to Las Vegas, the Storm only shot just above 22% from the three-point range, which is something you cannot do against a potent Aces team.

Should Seattle get enough offensive production from everyone, banking on the Storm to cover the +5.5 spread at these current odds is something you might want to consider.

It is also worth noting that Las Vegas is terrible at covering the spread on the road, only sporting an 8-10-1 (Against-The-Spread) ATS card.

Why will the Las Vegas Aces cover the spread?

Winners of seven of their last eight, the Las Vegas Aces are making a solid push of keeping the fourth spot and albeit slim, possibly overtaking the Connecticut Sun for the third seed.

With two victories against the Seattle Storm this season, the Aces head into this game as the rightful favorite.

• It is worth noting that Las Vegas came in as a 4.5-point favorite in their previous encounter and did just enough to cover the spread.

Even more impressive is the fact that the Aces did it on the road while only getting nine points from their reserves.

• Plus, their only loss to the Storm this season also came at a time where the Aces were the most vulnerable and without point guard Chelsea Gray.
• The 31-year old Gray, who was instrumental in Las Vegas’ title run last year, had 11 points and six assists in their previous encounter with Seattle.

Besides Gray, versatile guard Jackie Young should also step up here. In their only loss to the Storm this season, Young was only limited to three points.

• She was, however, quick to bounce back, notching 32 points in the second matchup and 27 in the next.
• One thing that the Aces have to be cautious here is the pesky defense of the Storm, which ranks as the best in the league. For context, Seattle ranks first in the league in most steals and blocks per game.

Should the Aces take care of the ball and get the usual numbers from franchise player A’ja Wilson, backing them to cover the -5.5 spread at these current odds could be a bargain considering the talent level of this team.

Final Seattle Storm vs Las Vegas Aces WNBA Prediction: Las Vegas Aces -5.5 (-105)

The Seattle Storm is a formidable team and should be able to challenge the Las Vegas Aces early on, especially with the backing of the home crowd.

However, considering the Storm’s injury concerns and their performance last game against the Los Angeles Sparks, I am more confident in picking the much healthier team to cover the spread and pull off the victory here.